News Briefs - July 30

A milestone for Team Telfer, a Dunn double act in the USA, and the retirement of a top trotter all feature in this week's News Briefs.

Ton for Telfers

Team Telfer went past 100 winners for the 2025 season when Miki Bennett won at Addington last Friday. It was one of two winners they had on the night along with Carbon while the stable also won with Mystic Magic on Sunday to go to 102 for the season. Their best for a season was 116 last year when they were second in the premiership behind Robert and Jenna Dunn (137). The Telfers currently lead the premiership by 25 from Michael House (77 wins).  With 109 wins, Blair Orange is the clear leader in the drivers' premiership from Tim Williams (75) while Wilson House, with 60 wins, has a 14 win buffer in the junior drivers' premiership from Harrison Orange. 

Dunn makes USA debut

John Dunn has had his first drive in North America. He finished fifth with the Brett Pelling-trained Waffle Blue Chip in the first at the Meadowlands over the weekend. Dunn is in the USA on a working holiday. Brother Dexter Dunn, a five-time USA Driver of the Year, had a driving treble at the same meeting, winning with Captain Optimistic, Super Chapter and Miki And Minnie. Meanwhile 2024 Dan Patch Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh, who was driven and is co-owned by Dexter Dunn, was beaten at Plainridge Park in Massachusetts over the weekend but it took a world record-breaking performance to do it. She was beaten by four lengths by defending champion Sylvia Hanover who set a 1:47.4 world record by a mare on a five-eighths mile track.

HRA Chief Executive resigns

Harness Racing Australia has confirmed that long-standing Chief Executive Andrew Kelly is standing down. The 52-year-old has held senior roles in the sport across the Tasman for the past 22 years and has been chief executive for the last 17 years.

Mr McLaren keeps winning

Mr McLaren, a four-race winner for Southland trainer Kirk Larsen in this country before being exported in 2023, just keeps winning in North America. The seven-year-old has now won four times in open company in the United States this season, his latest coming at Saratoga in New York State over the weekend.

Betting bonanza in Brisbane

The Inter Dominions were not just a success for winners Leap To Fame and Arcee Pheonix. The three-night series at Albion Park this month also saw wagering of $6.8m, up 12 per cent on the last Inter Dominion held in Brisbane in 2023 ($6.0m). Average betting was up 20 percent on two years ago, up from $446,000 to $536,000.

Callmethebreeze retired to stud

Imported European millionaire Callmethebreeze has been officially retired to stud and will join the Yabby Dam Farm and Haras des Trotteurs stallion roster in Victoria. The multiple Group 1 winner had 18 wins and career earnings of $1.7m. He only raced once in this country, a second to the champion Just Believe in the inaugural TAB Trot at Cambridge in 2024. His service fee in New Zealand (chilled semen) is $5000 and GST.

Tears of joy for Jovic

Winning races can reduce anyone to tears. Take the case of three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jovic. The basketball star's passion for harness racing is well-known and after one of his horses won in his home country of Serbia the Denver Nuggets superstar was clearly overcome with emotion. Video circulated on social media showing him with his head in his hands before going over and congratulating both horse and driver. It was clearly quite the moment for the big man.